Valin Llanowar
Character Name: Valin Llanowar Age: 134 Born: 26 Alturiak (February), 1247 DR Class: Bladesinger Occupation: Kerymvian El'tael Race: Ar'tel'quessir(Sun Elven) Alignment: Chaotic Good Deity: Tethrin Veralde Country of Origin: Moonsea Coast Spoken Languages Elven, Common, Magic Accent: Elven, common is spoken and written without contractions. Left or Right Handed: Left Handed Relatives: Bondmate: Aly'Faerae Auvryath, Son: Ardur Llanowar Physical Statistics Height: 6'2" (1.88m) Weight: 186lbs(84kgs) Hair: Brown Eye Color: Green Skin Tone: Tanned, Coppery Recognizable Features: *Elven tribal tattoos ** Right side of his face **Sleeve on his right arm *A circle of eight smaller circlular scars on the back of his right hand. * A deep, nasty looking 5" scar starts at his shoulder and makes a jagged line towards the center of the back of his waist. ** The scar stops abruptly which would lead one to believe it was once larger and magically healed. * From near his chin down to his collar bone, another deep scar. ''Description Summary Valin is tall for an elf, towering over many of his kin and a good amount of humans as well. His bronzed skin reflects his Ar'tel'quessir heritage, along with his chocolate brown hair and deep green eyes. Valin is muscular and solidly built, his strength hidden by elven physiology, which doesn't cause muscles to bulk up like humans. Usually with a stoic expression, he generally has a sullen and withdrawn look. He is generally dressed in a loose fitted shirt or a leather jacket with mailed sleeves, accompanied by a pair of lose cloth pants; colored black, and silver. A rapier or two hang at his his hip and a pair of wands strapped to his thigh. His equipment would suggest he is some sort of skirmisher. Around his neck are two holy symbols, A long and short sword lying parallel to each other on a disc, their blade tips angled towards the upper left; a quarter moon lies above the swords while a full moon lies underneath. The other of a naked drow woman with a bastard sword. 'Abilities/Skills' ''Abilities * Strength (14): Daily calisthenic workouts keep Valin in shape, but doesn't cause a great deal of natural strength. * Dexterity (14): Along with his workout is a form of elven stretching, keeping him limber. * Constitution (12): Valin is capable of running a couple miles and joining extended battle. However, he is not about to run a marathon unless enchanted * Intelligence (21): Valin has an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Fond of riddles and puzzles, he will almost always find a solution to a task given time. * Wisdom (10): Occasionally short temper and is known to be a bit hasty at times. Given something urgent Valin will occasionally beeline to it recklessly. * Charisma (10): Off putting at first glance, his mannerisms and speech patterns reinforce this. Valin has a poor self image and has bouts of self doubt. Skills * Concentration: Endless hours of study and arcane experimentation have caused Valin to be able to focus intensely on what he doing. * Discipline: Forty Five years of learning the bladesong has given him a great deal of battle experience, including countering many common tactics. * Lore: Reads a bit too much for his own good and living over a hundred years provides him with first hand insight most humans would lack. * Perform: Valin is a talented dancer, sculptor, and musician. Don't expect him to sing for you, however. * Spellcraft: As an accomplished wizard, Valin knows the inner workings of magics intimately. * Tumble: The bladesong is based on fluidity and avoidance. Valin is adept at repositioning to deal with a more favorable target or take down support. Feats *'Extend spell:' During earlier times, Valin had less flexibility with what and how many spells he could cast. Many spell he found weren't effective enough or didn't last as long as desired. Subsequently, he researched how he could best resolve there such problems by making the spells he knew more difficult. He wonders whether the practice of such expedited his progression in the Art. *'Practiced Spellcaster(Wizard):' Having to keep the workout regimen of a soldier, Valin's time to learn more powerful spells became less and less to the point where sometimes he was unable to study further and had to work on advancing what he knows. While he was unable to advance through the circles quickly as more dedicated wizards, he was able to make up lost ground with the spells he had already learned. Personality Valin is generally withdrawn in places he feel uncomfortable. He is not openly friendly and is unlikely to start up a conversation. He doesn't enjoy meeting humans as their customs and mannerisms can be stifling and choking at times. With people he doesn't know he has a very strong sense of personal space and despises being touched out of the blue. He absolutely despises Fey'ri and Orc and will never give them the time of day. Likewise with those with blood of the lower planes. If anything they would be lucky if Valin even listens to what they have to say. While his bias against humans has dulled some, he still remains guarded against those he doesn't know and expects the worst. Elves and those of elven blood have a fast track to good favor from him as he feels comfortable around his kin and ilk. It is rare to see him showing any sign of overwhelming emotion, though anger is not uncommon. Hygiene is a must for Valin and it is rare that he goes a day without bathing at least twice. Since humans aren't the most clean people, this puts him off further to them. Sun Elven Behavior Valin is reserved in nature, and like the rest of his kin is misconstrued as "stuck up" and "haughty." He has a great love of the arts, particularly sculpting, and wine. Given a comfortable setting with pleasant company he is known to open up. He loves Astrology, which while appealing to all elves, generally only sun elves will delve into the study. The Arcane Valin is fond of magic and studies it daily. He enjoys its intricacy and diversity. For a while he was strongly against enchantments as they often are used to restrict somebody's free will, which is a large taboo in elven culture. This has alleviated as he no longer cares about the free will of those he is combating. He has always despised necromancy and only uses spells from the school that counteracts its self, such as Shadow shield and Undeath to Death. Devotion to the People & Gods Valin has taken an oath to protect The People and is remiss to combat them. This is quickly alleviated if they follow non Seldarine gods that he finds morally wrong, such as Bane. He despises the dark-Seldarine, or drow pantheon, outside of Eilistraee; A cold deep seated hatred resides in his heart for Lolth and Vhaeraun. After his banishment Valin followed Fenmarel. After forty years, Valin decided that his beliefs no longer applied to his life and were anchoring him. He has since followed Tethrin Veralde, son of Corellon and Sehanine, a lesser known deity of elven magic and sword fighting (a common deity among bladesingers) Prejudices * Drow: Given his history with drow, he holds an intense hatred of those that don't follow Eilistraee and will not trust them. In battle he will beat them to an inch of death visciously before giving them an ultimatum: Convert or die. * Fey'ri: will never, ever trust a fey'ri. * Orcs: Almost remiss to stab them and get their filthy blood on his blade. Almost. * Humans: General mistrust and must prove themselves as decent people. Even then he is reluctant to open up. * Zhents: Stab first, ask questions later. * Red Plumes: Intense dislike, more so than Zhents, though political changes may cause him to abandon this outlook eventually. Companions Alabyran Haladar: While another El'tael, the two of them do not get a long well. Valin sees him as pretentious and inflexible. He respects him as a colleague, but little more. With Alabyran's recent disappearance, Valin thinks the Moonsea was saved a lot of drama. Aly'Faerae Auvryath: Best friend, bondmate, consort, and mother of his son. His love for her is deeper than anything he was ever known. She was also the first person to convince him Eilistraee was a true deity, and not some hoax as he was brainwashed by his father to believe. When he gets uppity, Aly is the only person who can yank on his chain and make him calm down. Cadius Eldanesh: Valin view Cadius as his inner child incarnate. With a more human influence, granted, there is something about Cadius that allows Valin to be more open in their conversations. Currently he hasn't decided whether or not that is for the better or worse. His recent torture only furthers this similarity and Valin hopes he can use his experiences to help the young elf cope. Cecilia Eaves: Of the newest people Valin has met, she has left the smallest impression. Sharessan and bardess, she seems prone to flirting whether she intends to or not. Being Kris' lover and Kashir's friend means she can't be that bad....right? Cerin Te'les: Respected and close friend. Allows him a greater understanding of divine magics. Although his choice in patron isn't completely to his liking, it is one that is understandable and worthy of respect. Daalegoth Durothil: A very valued and respected friend. They are as close as friends can get in an elven fashion. Humans not familiar with elven sensibilities might suspect something more, but it is unfounded. They are often seen babbling about something Arcane, or rattling off inside jokes of friendly quips. His sudden dissapearance has disheartened Valin. Dawn Darkmoon: Probably his favorite of the humans(so he thinks), he finds her optimistic outlook and devotion to the good of the Moonsea delightful. However, he does feel her morals make her do counterproductive things. Dierna Strikeanvil: Eilistraeean drow and long time friend of Cerin. Her company is pleasant enough and her openness in admitting shortcomings in the church is refreshing. A desire for more social interaction is surely there. Hitomi Nakamura: A curiousity to him, the elven samurai is one of the rare examples of his kin from the East. He finds her mannerisms amusing. Hai! Ilisme Renor'anon: Another Eilistraeean that Valin has encountered, however briefly. He looks forward to seeing her around more often, but can only give her the benefit of a doubt at the moment. Isiolia Nightstar: Valin is not a big fan of her, but tolerates her. He finds her excuses for secluding herself thin and doesn't like how guarded she is with her feelings to people she calls friends. Isioviel Luelen: Good for a pleasant conversation. As a fellow crafter he has enjoyed working side by side with her quietly, enjoying the company while he works. Kashir Brathand: One of the few paladins Valin has ever met that he can tolerate, he finds Kashir's zeal tempered enough to not create annoyance. In hunting parties with Kashir involved, Valin likes to let him take charge and just concentrate on honing his skills again without the hassle of keeping people organized. Oh, and the free scrolls don't hurt. Kirisyar Clark: A peculiar half-human. A bit daunted by her warlock powers, one of the few areas of magic that he is not well versed in, though intensely curious about the roots of her supposed Fey Pact. He enjoys the fact that she is knowledgeable of her fairer blood and enjoys her sayings. Kyoni Dancingblade: Known follower of Eilistraee, and that puts her in his good graces. Will act kindly towards her, though he doesn't know much about her. He see's her more as Aly's friend than his own. Rapture: A tolerable half-elf, while not very knowledgeable of her past, they get along reasonably well. Saeryl Kethvanna: Trusted ranger and friend. He honestly cares about her problems but can find her to be a bit over dramatic at times. He worries that her temper and recklessness will be the end of her. They have grown closer as of late, largely after he saved her from Zhent torture. Shalarnes Marthdal: More of an acquaintance than a friend, Valin respects her aptitude with the Art and will occasionally look to her for guidance in it. He doesn't like her fanciful, unconcerned, and overly carefree attitude. Wylin Maidenshealer: His favorite of the half-elves around. Valin appreciates the humbleness and gentleness the healer keeps about himself. Zac Metherein: An old acquaintance from Highmoon, their friendship has waned of late though they still get along relatively well. As with most people that can vanish at the blink of an eye, he is unable to gain Valin's full trust. ''Disliked Ones Arcturus Menson: A silver tongued devil, a Zhentarim soldier, and a Banite. Overall he considers him a thorn in the Moonsea's side. His distaste grew upon hearing about him logging business. Borag "the Worm": A filthy little snot. Only seen once but was loud, deceitful, and overall offensive enough to put him down in people he would like to not see again. Elle: A ditz and a gossip. Her childish and foolish behavior makes her a general annoyance, and her "wonderful" clothes look appalling. He finds is completely inexplicable that she is able to stay in business. Her marriage to Arcturus doesn't help either. Kane Nefarious: A vile necromancer, and overall fool. Valin would possibly consider him a threat if he ever got his act together and didn't fumble about like an imbecile. Kriegnar The Warmonger: An orc of some renown, his racial enmity towards orcs caused him ire to be thrown his way than he deserves. He has changed from a buzzing annoyance of a fly to a pest that needs to be squashed after the attack on the Watch Tower. Mara Avaressa: A floozy and a tramp. That combined with her demonic heritage causes even the mentioning of her name to give him a sour expression. Michael von Wolfhousen: Valin was willing to buy the Mich had changed after his encounter with Mephistopheles, being reborn as a celestial. However recent event has shown him revealing his true colors. Given the choice Valin would wipe him from the planes. Valkhar: Valin holds no hope for this one and learning of his true nature this has only intensified. His demeanor in public goes from terse to downright ignoring him. Biography '''927: Year of the Red Rain' The battlements lay in ruins, so many dead and dying, staining the ground as their blood left their bodies. All was not lost, for the monster had finally been laid low. A scorched, beaten, and battered body lay on the ground; the cause of so much suffering. They knew him as Sandrin De’lethan, protector of the people of Riversend, until this day. Nobody knew why he turned and attacked the very people vowed to protect. Centuries of laughter, joy, and happiness snuffed out in a matter of a few hours. This was a wound that time could not heal, and would not fade away. His belongings where all destroyed, except for a purple tome that foiled all attempts at its demise. It was locked away, deep from prying eyes, never to show its secrets again. 1334: Year of the Blazing Brand Valin was never one to follow all the rules, and the ones he did he made sure he had loopholes he could get through them. He took short time learning from the town locksmith only to learn how locks were made, and only spent a short stint with the healers to learn where the body gets hurt the most. A great cause of his curiosity was caused by the Shantasharr, the tree hold, where the village’s history and secrets were locked away. One year, skipping the spring festival, Valin took advantage of the celebration by stealing off to the Shantasharr. His fingers moved deftly; lock in hand, as he fumbled with its tumblers. A click of the lock proclaimed his success and he grinned while opening the door, poking his head inside the damp musky hold. Piles of books and containers filled the room, clearly enchanted to hold more than the already large tree’s base would allow. A bright silver chain hung in front of another door, baring entrance to more of the trees secrets, and was far too tempting for him to over look. After getting past the door with little difficulty he laid his hand on a dark purple book of untold age, a layer of dust sitting atop its leather cover told of long forgotten lore. Slipping the book inside his bag he made his exit, fixing everything just as he had found it, running straight home and to his room to examine his gains. Each turn of a page usher a small gust of arcane energy, the power of the words contained was great. A voice on the edge of comprehension poked at his brain, which he excused as being the result of the late hours he studied. Quietly, and secretly, he studied the diagrams, the pages of text for the months to come. The book filled him with new found talents, increasing his minute ability with the Art, and making his sword arm more accurate. Then the humans came…. Nasty, ugly, brutish humans; Barbarians for a lack of a worse name. Rumor spread of them attacking villages, raping women, piking children, leaving only misery and despair in their wake. Archers scurried to the walls, bows and quiver in hand, showering the barbarians with volley after volley of arrows. Bust most of them kept running. It was unbelievable, it was insane. It was pure madness. Wooden barricades crumbled, bodies piling up. Now was not the time to be hiding in the shadows, now was the time for action. Unsheathing his longsword Valin rushed into battle, wielding sword and sorcery as one. It frightened them, for they had heard tales of the spellblades of the elven people, and they knew they were not to be trifled with. The last of the filthy humans that decided to stay and fight hit the floor. Valin looked around at those left, expecting a hero’s celebration, or at least kind words of thanks. All he got was hushed, hurried whispers and stern looks. He tried to ignore it for the next tenday, as people moved away from him like a cockroach from light. Then he was summoned by the council. “You have breached the Shantasharr, stolen that which was locked away, and brought trouble to Riverse-“ "I used it to help people!" he cried out in defiance. "It was locked away for a reason, and you should have abided by it. Your recent deeds don’t absolve you of your guilt. I hereby announce you, Valin Silveroak, banished." "But, fath-" "Silence! I have no son!" The world slowed down, his heart stopped beating, and his breath grew heavy in his lungs, shocked at what he had just heard. Banished from Riversend, from everything he had known and cared for, never to return. “It must be a nightmare.” he thought to himself, but try as he may he couldn’t shake himself out of the grip of reality. There was nothing left to do but abide by their wishes. Gathering his belonging he prepared for his journey to who knows where. He just couldn’t stay here. “Ah, they have shunned you as well. My pupil, we are not very different…” the voice was back, louder, clearer, from the book. Valin stared at it, hearing tales of intelligent belongings, but never having believed them. Yes, I am this book, but it was not always this way. I am Sandrin De’lethan, keep me safe and I shall help you through this.” Then the book rested silent its purple cover and silver clasps cleverly hiding then sentience behind it. Shoving it in his bag he slung his pack over his shoulder. It was time to head out. ''In-Game History '''Highmoon - The Beginnings' Valin finally stopped long enough to get to know people, an unusual thing for him to do since his exile. Soon after he arrived he bumped into Aly'Faerae Auvryath, not knowing the woman heritage. Short on coin he decided to stay around for a few days to garner some wealth. During this time he had done a few raids on a local goblin cave with his new acquaintance, he stumbled upon her true identity. The next few days were tense, not trusting her religion, but eventually that cooled over and their friendship returned to normal. A few tendays later a radical Shevarite attacked them, knocking them both out and dragging Aly'Faerae Auvryath to a cave leading back to the underdark. Disoriented and sore, Valin tracked them down causing the Shevarite to flee. Since then the two have been inseparable, romance blossoming between the two a moon after. The Discord Valin hadn't given up on learning whatever the book had left to teach him. The Bladesong rang faintly in his ears, calming and exciting him in battle. In the process of repelling an attack on Highmoon the Bladesong grew louder and louder, causing a cacophony that would not stop. Pain would wrack his body as he tried to calm down. A few painful days would pass when a stroll through the woods with Aly'Faerae Auvryath was interrupted. At the base of a crumbled tower near a pond a Balor wreathed in lightning held one of Tel'Quessir an inch from depth. A short battle would ensue, Aly soon in the same position as the stranger. Battered and bleeding Valin offered himself in return for the safety of the other two. A flash of light healed their wounds and the Balor disappeared, the stranger taking upon a pale shriveled appearance with piercingly bright eyes. Brought to a secluded underwater hideaway, the baelnorn revealed he had watched Valin struggle with the bladesong. Having passed the test, the former bladesinger bestowed him with the knowledge needed to calm the music. Dual Taelship While having the Bladesong under control, he still needed help in learning to put it to use. The spirit in the book that had got him into so much trouble long ago had reawakened. In a more direct interaction, it would pull him into a trance-like state, teaching him in his unconsciousness as it kept track of his progress. But Valin needed something more, something more constant. He found a passing El'Tael by the name of Nadin Starym to give him a more present and practical tutorship. Through this combined effort Valin learned all seven forms of the bladesong. Velethuil and Sshrenshen Now a full fledged El'tael, Valin made it a habit to visit the neighboring Elven towns and aid them in any way he could. During a ceremony of Sehanine, Illithid took advantage of the Velethuil's lowered mental defenses to steal the consciousness of it's inhabitants. Chaos erupted in the town as a strike force arrived from Highmoon to help solve the situation. Valin, with the others, tracked down the source of the disturbance and put an end to it. Able to restore three quarters of the populace, many considered the rescue a success. Valin was happy for those that were saved, but felt he should have been there sooner and done more. When Sshrenshen was attacked, Valin along with an Elistraeean weapon master defended the elevator from a assault of Umberhulk that was orchestrated by the previously defeated Illithid. Failure Droves of drow and a black dragon razed Sshrenshen. Valin was unable to get there in time and when he had there was nothing to defend. His spirit crushed, he moped about Highmoon for a while before him and Aly'Faerae Auvryath moved north to the Moonsea Coast in hopes of finding a place where they could start anew and put their disappointment behind them. Tides of Change Before the fall of Elventree Valin had a short term as Voice Herald, making him Co-leader of the forest village. Despite his ire for politics he was thrust into negotiations with Hillsfar, Zhentil Keep, Yulash and Maiden's Loss. Despite hard feelings at Elventree's destruction, Valin is trying to put the anger from that behind him. There was not much he, or anyone could do. Out of the Mists After being thrust back into life 4 years after the invasion, Valin has found himself in an odd position. His kin has fallen back to Myth Drannor, which has brandished him an outlaw. Mistriven, one of the few safe places on the Moonsea, has arrested him for piracy. Fellhurst has multiple contracts out for his death. And his mind has been wiped of most for his arcane knowledge. He spends his days figuring out his odd circumstances, trying to find his family a new home, and reattain the skills he once had. ''Important Items Elven Bass: Valin is in the possession of a bass of exceptional quality, its clean lines and patterns in the wood makes its origin blatantly obvious. The tones it can create are incredible. Category:PC